1. Field of Invention
Embodiments of the present invention broadly relate to storage devices, such as video storage devices. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention provide for a method and apparatus for managing storage of videos on a video storage device, such as a personal video recorder.
2. Description of the Background Art
Video recorders are important for controlling people's ability to view programs which otherwise would not be seen due to conflicts with the time of broadcast of an event. Thus, video recorders enable people to no longer be hostage to any particular broadcast schedule. Unfortunately, members of a household often do not have the same time schedule for viewing a recorded program. Children often come home early from school and have some discretionary time to play games or watch programs on TV before doing homework and going to bed. Professional adults often come home late from work, sometimes after the children have gone to bed.
It is well known that there is a finite amount of storage on any video recorder, particularly a personal video recorder (PVR). After a personal video recorder has recorded a program, there is often no more available storage capacity to record another program. Unviewed content must be erased in order to make room for new content.
One of the difficulties in managing content on a personal video recorder is that there is no suitable means for informing a member of a household of that a particular recorded event has been viewed by other members of the household. If a member of a household knew that all other members of the household have seen a particular recorded event, then the member could erase the recorded event after seeing it in order to free up video storage area for recording another event.
Another difficulty in managing content on a personal video recorder is that there is no suitable means for a member of a household to indicate to other members of the household that a particular recorded event is to be saved after being seen by the member. Many times a member of a household does not have time to view the entire recorded event at one time, so it would be desirable to save the recorded event in order for the member to be able to finish seeing it at another time. Also, a member after viewing the entire recorded event may want to save the recorded event for viewing again at another time.